I’ve stopped working with trainers after 3 years of not seeing results (*). I originally bought the Powerblock dumbells for home use as they were only $250. However, due to the shape you can’t grip them to do high-weight pullovers. I returned them and bought Bowflex 552s for about $300. The dial makes them easy to adjust. I also bought a Powerblock branch bench just because it was the floor model, about $150, and they are all basically the same.
7/19/12 these were a few of my numbers:
Dumbell bench press: 40
Dumbell biceps Curl: 25
Dumbell shoulder press: 25
Pullover: 40
Side plank: 40 seconds
8/16/12 these are my numbers:
Dumbell bench press: 50
Dumbell biceps Curl: 30
Dumbell shoulder press: 30
Pullover: 45
Side plank: 60 seconds
Similar results for other exercises. Except for the pullover I got a 20% strength increase in one month by taking over my own training.
(*) With my first trainer, at one point I could do a 60 pound biceps curl 5 times. However, I was injured every month. After the last serious injury that took me out for 6 weeks I stopped using him. With the second trainer we’d do 3 warmup sets, conservative weights, and spend the whole hour on a few muscle groups, hitting each group about once a week. However, after 2 years I was no stronger than when I started. I need to workout my entire upper body every workout and to keep going up in weight. to see results.